


Ever After

by SaraJaye



Series: Ever After 'Verse [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, BaeBae is still around she's just Old, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Fast Food, Flight Instructor Keith, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage, Married Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Pet Names, Post-Series, Sappy, Self-Indulgent, brief mention of Kosmo making puppies with another dog, captain shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 09:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15927593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Settling into a happy ending, step by step.





	Ever After

They didn't bother with a huge wedding. Shiro's family lived too far away, and Keith still had no extended family to speak of. They had a simple courthouse ceremony with the rest of the team and Krolia as witnesses, and exchanged matching rings.

Sliding the glistening silver ring onto Keith's finger was the highlight of it all, after their first official kiss as husbands. Hunk had prepared a feast in celebration, of course, and Pidge had brought a bottle of fine wine from her mother's collection. _She usually uses it to cook with, but this time we actually get to drink it!_

They'd kissed, touched, and fucked plenty of times before, but the simple fact that they were _married_ now made that night all the more incredible. Hours of the best sex they'd ever had, followed by falling asleep to a classic Star Trek marathon.

Keith had taken Shiro's last name, after Mom legally changed her surname to Kogane to honor Dad. _He would want you to find your own path, and Shiro is it,_ she'd told Keith shortly before his wedding day. _Besides, I always carried his name with me, even when I feared I'd never see him again._

Post-honeymoon, they compromised on a new home: Keith wanted to stay in the desert, but Shiro didn't want them so isolated. They found a place just near town, on a quiet street, with a nice big yard for Kosmo to run around in. They kept the shack as an unofficial "office," because no one else bothered to buy it and Keith didn't want to let go of the place that had led them back to each other. Where the adventure had started.

"But we're on a whole new adventure now," Keith said on their first full night in their new house. Lying on their new king-sized bed, Keith's head pillowed against his chest, Kosmo at their feet. "I can't wait to get back to the Garrison." Shiro grinned.

"I can't wait either, _teacher_."

Iverson had retired a few months back, and the staff hadn't had to think twice before suggesting Shiro as his replacement. But to their mutual shock, Iverson had suggested Keith as the new flight instructor, because the cadets loved him so much and everyone who'd known Keith as the bratty orphan who picked fights had been _so_ bowled over by how much he'd grown and how he'd been a part of the force that saved the Earth.

Most people in Keith's shoes would have told them to go fuck themselves. In the past, Keith himself would have. But he'd gladly acqueised the demand, because he was older and wiser and he couldn't resist a chance to reach out to kids.

That was another adventure he knew Keith wanted to embark on soon, with all the war orphans needing homes. Adoption was a given, because someone like Keith wouldn't give a second thought to taking in a child without a home.

"Can't believe Iverson of all people reccommended me," Keith laughed. "I knew he wasn't as much of a jerk as he let on, but I _did_ wreck his eye."

"Good thing he doesn't hold a grudge," Shiro said, hugging Keith closer. "I get to work side by side with my _husband._ This is going to be the best job ever."

"Husband." The word rolled dreamily from Keith's lips as he kissed Shiro's jaw. "I'm really your husband. Remember when we were the last ones to figure out we were even dating?" Shiro chuckled, kissing the crown of his head.

"Even the mice knew before we did. Remember how Axca and Romelle actually threatened to lock us in a closet until we came clean?"

"I think they were kidding," Keith said. "At least I hope so...then again, a few hours alone in a closet with you wouldn't have been so bad." He shifted to lie directly atop Shiro, straddling his waist. Shiro groaned appreciatively, fingers dancing up and down his back.

"I prefer a nice, warm bed," he murmured. "Or the back of my car, or you bent over my desk, or the shower..."

"Kitchen counter," Keith added, and Shiro wished he had the energy for one last roll in the sheets. But Keith was tired, too, and there was no time like the present to start getting used to a normal day schedule again. Keith shifted to curl more against him; even with how he'd grown and filled out since his time with Krolia in the Quantum Abyss, Keith would always be smaller and still fit perfectly in his arms.

"Speaking of counters, do you actually _like_ the orange formica, or should we call a granite person in?" he asked. Keith shrugged.

"I could go either way. What about the den, though? Should we bother with chairs or a coffee table or just do the beanbang thing?" He smiled. "If we eat dinner in there we can do it Japanese-style." Shiro smiled, tugging the covers up over them.

"Why not? But let's compromise-we can eat Japanese-style and hang Texas decor on the walls. And your blade, of course. _Our_ home should reflect both of us." The soft, happy noise that escaped Keith as he snuggled closer warmed Shiro's heart.

"Perfect." He raised his gaze, his eyes shiny with joy. "Sometimes it still feels so _weird_ to be this happy. Like I never thought I'd have something like this."

"Ever wish you could go back in time and tell your teenage self you were gonna marry the guy whose car you stole?" Shiro asked. Keith laughed, burying his face in his shoulder.

"He'd tell me I was full of it. Something tells me the first kid we bring home's going to remind you of me at that age." Shiro mock-shuddered.

"And have my child and husband ganging up on me? Perish the thought!" Keith playfully nudged him in the side, and Shiro ruffled his hair. "Kidding, kidding!"

"We'd never give our kids a reason to act like I did," Keith said. "We won't have to leave to protect them, and we're not gonna die anytime soon." Shiro couldn't help holding him even closer at that; while Shiro's new body was disease-free and would remain so, and the Galra were no longer considered a threat, the memories didn't disappear so easily. Even now he'd catch Keith looking off into the distance, and Shiro would remember just how close they'd come to not having this.

 _But we're here, we survived, we kept that promise we made each other just before we charged into battle for the last time._ Everything they'd been through, every close call had led them to this moment. Here, in their own home, Keith secure in his arms and Kosmo snoring softly at his feet.

"I love you, Keith Shirogane." Because at times like this he felt he couldn't say it enough. Keith tilted his head up for a quick, soft kiss, fingers caressing along Shiro's jawline.

"I love you, too."

 

A month into their new daily lives, Keith came home with thick packet of papers.

"A list of all the war orphans still needing homes, with a little blurb of info about each one," he said. "You think we're ready?"

"Anytime you are, babe," Shiro said with a smile. "You realize Lance is gonna catch baby fever once he finds out, though." Keith gave him a cat-ate-the-canary grin, and Shiro gasped. "Already?!"

"They haven't even been married a year," Keith chuckled. "Allura's over the moon, surprisingly. Remember when she didn't do well with kids?"

"I think meeting Lance's nieces and nephews softened her up." Shiro's phone buzzed just them, a SpaceBook notification. "Ah, and he's already bragging about it. Surprised he didn't post a snapshot of the pregnancy test itself," he said. "Oh, and while we're on the subject, you know how Kosmo's been hanging around the Holts' new dog lately?" Keith's eyes widened.

"Puppies?"

"I think Pidge talked them into not getting Ellie fixed on purpose. She said we could have the first pick of the litter." Keith laughed, kneeling down to give Kosmo a big hug.

"Congratulations, boy! You'll be a dad, just like us!"

They spent the afternoon looking over the info twice before they decided to meet a girl named Athena. She was seven, her parents had died in a Galra labor camp, and she had no other family nearby. She was living at the same orphanage Keith had stayed in for a good part of his childhood, and so far two families had given her back for the dumbest reasons.

"Apparently she's too mopey for one and too spirited for the other," Shiro said. "You sure she's the one for us?"

"It's worth a try."

 

Athena, as it turned out, was just an average kid. Shiro didn't know what those other families expected, maybe they hadn't clicked and just needed some kind of excuse. But Keith bonded with the girl instantly, and she opened up easily to them both as she recognized them from Voltron and the garrison. At around noon, they treated her to lunch at In-and-Out Burger.

"Mom and Dad used to take me here for a special treat when I did good in school," she said. "Or whenever Daddy messed up with dinner." Keith smiled.

"My dad used to go here on the way home from work to get dinner. We were poor and he wasn't much of a cook, so it was a treat for us, too," he said. "Otherwise we'd just eat frozen pizza, mac and cheese, or TV dinners. When he didn't come home till late, I'd eat the leftovers." Even though he talked about his childhood more easily now, it still made Shiro sad to think of Keith sitting down to a bowl of cold mac and cheese, all alone.

"I'm not much of a cook myself, other than a few really basic dishes," he said. "But we'll always make sure one of us is home to fix you a hot dinner. Unless you _like_ cold things, of course!" Athena grinned, squeezing another ketchup packet into the pool she'd already built.

"Sometimes Dad brought home sushi from the farmer's market. It's not like the real restaraunt stuff, but I like it! Except the wasabi, that makes my face hurt," she said as she actually dipped her fingers into the ketchup and licked them clean. Keith _laughed._

"You eat your ketchup like I used to eat my ranch dressing." Shiro rolled his eyes.

"Eating plain frosting out of a container is one thing, but that's just crazy." Athena took a huge bite of her burger, chewed, and swallowed before flashing them both a smile. She had a gap between two of her bottom teeth.

"That's what Mom used to say."

For someone who'd lost both her parents and had been returned from two homes, Athena was so heart-stoppingly _cheerful_ it was hard not to love her. By the time they finished eating and were headed back to the orphanage, it was like they were already a family.

They filled out the paperwork right there, in the reception area. Shiro could remember a time when adoption was a much longer process, but with all the kids who still needed homes the oprhanage probably figured it wasn't fair to make them wait. Plus, they only had so much space.

"We'll send a social worker to check in on you three for a few months, just to see how things are going," the chief caretaker said as she helped Athena pack her things. She had a lot of cartoon and game-related things, mostly t-shirts and hoodies, and a stack of well-worn paperbacks.

 _Good to know so I can plan for Christmas and birthday shopping in advance,_ he thought.

 

The ride home was quiet, very reflective, Athena falling asleep halfway through. She woke up just as Shiro was pulling the car into the driveway.

"Is this my new home?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Keith nodded.

"I hope you like it. We haven't decorated your room yet, we thought we'd let you go through some catalogs and pick stuff out."

"Just be careful when you open the front door," Shiro said. "Kosmo gets springy when he's been alone for a while." They'd told her all about him, right down to his being a teleporting space wolf.

"W-woah!" Athena yelped, stumbling backward as Kosmo pounced and started licking her face. "Easy, boy! Let me get my stuff put away first!" She was giggling, though, and Keith was smiling even as he gently tugged Kosmo off of her.

"You can play with her later, okay? Kosmo, this is Athena. She's our daughter, and I hope you two will be the best of friends."

"I like him! Even if he made me all slobbery," Athena said. Shiro grabbed a towel from the clean laundry basket so she could wipe her face.

"We'll go over all the rules after dinner. We don't have too many, but one of them is you don't feed Kosmo at the table," he said. Keith rolled his eyes.

"That's _my_ rule, and you've broken it a few times yourself, _dear._ " Despite his tone, Shiro couldn't help but feel fuzzy at the term of endearment. He kissed Keith's cheek, then gave Kosmo a scratch behind his ears.

"You try to resist those big eyes and that cute little whine." He laughed. "Seriously, though, Athena, learn to resist. Otherwise he'll end up on one of those doggie reality shows about spoiled brat dogs." Athena giggled.

"I'll try my best!" She paused. "What should I call you? I mean, since you're both gonna be my dads. Daddy and Papa? Dad and Father? Pops? Your names?"

"Our friends in Voltron used to call Shiro Space Dad," Keith said. "That said, they also called me Space Mom. Don't call me that." Athena snorted.

"Who calls a guy _mom?_ " Keith blushed.

"It was an inside joke."

After Athena pondered for a few minutes, Shiro was known as Daddy and Keith as Dad.

 _Dads._ It was official, this was their daughter. He and Keith were parents. Shiro's eyes caught his husband's, shiny with tears of joy, and they shared a quick kiss.

"So the day I found you again, the day I met my mom, the day I got Kosmo, finding out you were in love with me, and our wedding day. Today makes...six of the happiest days of my life," Keith said. Shiro hugged him, burying his cheek against his hair.

"Every day we've been together has been the happiest day of my life." Keith snorted.

"You are such a sap."

"And you love me for it." Keith lifted his gaze, his expression soft enough to melt pure diamond.

"With all my heart."

They leaned in to kiss before they realized their daughter was still standing there. Keith coughed nervously and Shiro reluctantly loosened his hold.

"Athena, why don't you go unpack? Dad and I will start dinner."

"Okay!"

Once Athena and Kosmo had gone upstairs, Keith tilted his head up again, and this time Shiro gladly met his lips.


End file.
